Round and round the Managers go....

By Albatross
October 8 2002

Peter Reid may be one of the biggest casualties of the season so far, but as the sacking season approaches it's autumn peak Albatross has a look at the pace of mangerial changes in Division 3. It's not good reading if you're a boss in the Nationwide....

The Managerial Merry-go-round seems to be spinning faster with every year that passes. The departure of Peter Reid had been rumoured for so long that the only real surprise was that it took until last night for the news to be announced; and already the big names are being mentioned as his replacement: O'Leary, Graham, O'Neill, McCarthy....

I don't think there's any need for Poolies to worry about CT being approached though. The Sunderland fans won't settle for a man from the third division, no matter how well he's been doing, and no matter what his previous connections with the Mackems. The only risk would be if they tried the approach of Leicester last season - an experienced big name as "Director of Football" and CT as the head coach - with the promise of taking over the whole shooting match not far ahead. Given it didn't work out too well for the Foxes, it's difficult to see Sunderland trying it.

Meanwhile, Division 3 has also seen departures. John Cornforth is the latest to go, paying the price for Exeter's poor start to the season, and apparently Gazza has applied for the job.

Cornforth joins Nick Cusack and Steve Evans as casualties in our league, and others are rumoured to be on the brink: Brian Laws was rumoured to have been sacked at Scunny but is holding on, and Tactics Taylor must also be looking nervously over his shoulder, with Tony (dad of Spike) Lee rumoured to be already lined up as his replacement.

Clubs at all levels seem to be less patient with their managers, and a quick look at the current set of managers in the third reveals a catalogue of relatively recent arrivals, as the managerial history of each club since the start of last season shows....

AFC Bournemouth - Sean O'Driscoll has been in charge for about two years; was told by his board at the end of August that he had six games to prove himself. Bournemouth's improved form since means that O'Driscoll is secure - for now....

Boston - Steve Evans' suspension saw Neil Thompson in as Caretaker; then Thompson threatened to resign, Evans left, and Thompson became the permanent boss as Boston's turbulent first league season continues.

Bristol Rovers - Gerry Francis lasted six months before departing last December; Garry Thompson lasted just four before Ray Graydon took charge.

Bury - Andy Preece has been in charge since the end of 1999, surviving relegation as it was widely acknowledged that any manager would have struggled with Bury's crippling financial problems. The recent win over Bolton will have done his chances of staying at the club for an extended period no harm at all!

Cambridge - Current Boss John Taylor took over in November last year following the sacking of John Beck - who himself had only taken over from Roy McFarland eight months previously.

Carlisle - Roddy Collins took charge at the start of last season; was sacked after disagreements with Knighton in April, leaving Billy Barr to fill in for four months until Collins again took over after Knighton finally departed.

Darlington - Gary Bennett stepped down at the end of October last year, Tommy Taylor took over and now finds himself under pressure as well.

Exeter - John Cornforth is the latest casualty, but had only been in place for a year following the departure of Noel Blake.

Pools - CT has been in charge since February 99, and still looks more likely to leave for another job than be sacked. This is something of a change for Pools, the last man to leave for pastures new (as opposed to getting the chop) was John Bird in 1988!

Hull - Brian Little left in February, then Jan Molby came in at the end of the season. Hull's poor start is already seeing the pressure grow on the Dane.

Kiddiminster - Molby left for Hull in March, and Ian Britton has come in and kept Kiddy well up with a solid if unadventurous side.

Leyton Orient - Tommy Taylor left a year ago; Paul Brush has been in charge since but may be in danger if Orient stay in their current position of 19th.

Lincoln - Alan Buckley stayed for all of last season, before leaving to be replaced by Keith Alexander. Alexander has the Imps punching well above their weight and looks pretty secure.

Macclesfield - Gil Prescott also departed this time last year, Dave Moss taking over.

Oxford - Mark Wright departed under a cloud last November, and former Carlisle boss Ian Atkins has taken charge, with improved form this season.

Rochdale - Steve Parkin left for Barnsley last November - a move he may now regret. John Hollins was appointed manager for a spell, but departed following the Playoffs to be replaced by Paul Simpson.

Rushden - Brian Talbot is currently the longest serving manager of a third division club, having been at Diamonds for over five years. Their stability seems to be paying off as Rushden are again challenging for promotion in their second league season.

Scunthorpe - Brian Laws has been at Scunny for about the same length of time as Brian Talbot has been at Rushden, the question is whether he will last much longer; another bad run may see him finally pushed out the door.

Shrewsbury - Kevin Ratcliffe has been in charge for almost three years, but the Shrews poor start to the season means he is another manager under pressure.

Southend - David Webb left a year ago to be replaced by Rob Newman.

Swansea - It's a dangerous job being the boss at the Vetch. They started last season with John Hollins, who departed in September; Colin Addison took over and then left in March, leaving Nick Cusack and Roger Freestone in charge before Cusack took the role on himself. Cusack left in the middle of last month, with Brian Flynn taking over. Four regimes in just about a year, and who'd bet against another change if Flynn fails to turn them round quickly?

Torquay - Roy McFarland left over the summer, having taken over the previous summer. Leroy Rosenior is definately not in any danger though, having given the Gulls a great start to this season. Rosenior is though their fourth man in charge in less than two years....

Wrexham - Brian Flynn was in charge at the start of last season, making way for Denis Smith this time last year. Despite their relegation, Smith looks secure having just bagged the September Manager of the Month award.

York - Terry Dolan has been in charge since February 2000, and looks secure after making a good start to the season - though he is still not exactly Mr. Popular with York fans.

Count them up, and you discover that since the start of last season there have been 47 managers of the clubs now in Division 3, not counting Caretakers. The new boss at Exeter will be number 48. This adds up to an average of two managers per club over the last 14 months. Of these, only Parkin and Molby have moved to take up an appointment elsewhere.

This figure is quite astonishing. What is causing this sacking flurry? My personal thought is that it has a lot to do with money. Some of the clubs that have made changes have had money worries; Swansea - responsible for 4 of the 48 alone - have had a takeover; McFarland left Torquay after being asked to economise by reducing his coaching team. But it's not so much trying to bring someone cheaper in, it's the fact that it's a lot less expensive to blame it all on the manager and bring someone new in to work with the same players, than to acknowledge that the players aren't good enough to bring the rewards the fans want and to spend a bit of money on new ones. Players wages have spiralled, and it's easier to appease the fans by changing the manager than it is to bring in that quality striker who might want a couple of thousand a week. After all, you might get someone who's a better coach, or able to bring in the players on the cheap who can do a job, such as that done at Lincoln by Alexander.

Whatever the reason, the Sacking Season is shortly to reach it's Autumn Peak; I won't be surprised to see another five managers in Division 3 walking the plank by the end of November.